This is one of my favourite books of the series and in particular I loved the insight into Ithtorians as a culture and in particular to Vel as Jax's friend. I loved the way in which relationships grew, changed, were damaged and not easily repaired. I loved the continued reinforcement of the importance of personal autonomy in relationships and not sacrificing the self blindly to the couple dynamic. I like that in this book I started to see glimpses of poly style relating between Jax, Vel and March. Jax just keeps getting more and more interesting. In the last book she grew a conscience, and nearly lost everything (well, that latter part is definitely a theme). Now she has been tasked by the Conglomerate as humanity's last hope of an alliance with the planet of Ithiss-Tor, against the dire enemies encountered on Emry Station in the last book, the Morgut. She has her crew back, but March has been left changed by the war on Lachion and frankly, is more harmful than helpful for most of this book. I liked this development because Jax loves March so much, and he is so strong and heroic most of the time, that she gets spared some really tough decisions because he's there to lead the way. So taking him out of the equation helped Jax to grow in her own identity quite a bit. The diplomatic setting of the book, rather than being boring (which I kind of expected, given these books have been action-packed for the most part), was actually really interesting. Aguirre taps into some of the best themes of inter-planetary travel and diplomacy here... how do alien races interact with each other, what kinds of intrigues occur, how do perceptions of each other change over time. It felt a little Star Trekky - and in a good way, since that show (I'm thinking of Next Generation) managed to tap into the philosophy and moral play of interplanetary travel in a meaningful but not boring way. The other thing I liked so much about this installment is Vel, and how Jax's relationship with Vel deepened as he was her interpreter on Ithiss-Tor. He's been kind of a strong, silent type thus far, but in this book we learn more about his past, how it affected him, and why he sticks so close to Jax. The Icthorians (sp?) are also pretty interesting. They are individual (not hive mind) "bugs" with carapaces, thoraxes, etc. But Jax sees them as people and their language, including both verbal (clicks and clacks) and gestural, seems interesting and nuanced.Definitely an interesting entry into the series, Jax doesn't fail to impress and Aguirre maintains the balance of Jax's capabilities and frailties just right to keep her sympathetic.
Do You like book Dunkles Universum 3: Mondglanz (2013)?
Not quite up to par with the rest of the series. Not as fast paced but still a good read
—Pbbunny
Articulate, well structured, fab story. I'm stoked. Cheers for these Ann!
—Ramon
Sirantha Jax #3. Romance SF. It kind of drags after a while.
—kerriejo35
